FORT PIERCE - Fort Pierce Central doesn't have too long to lick its wounds from its 51-0 loss to Bradenton-Manatee in the Region 3-7A championship.

The Cobras now have to figure out how to replace 15 senior starters from a team that went 11-1 and was ranked as high as No. 3 in Class 7A and No. 6 overall.

"I've already been thinking about that a little bit," Central coach Josh Shaffer said. "The area teams that have been gunning for us the last two years have been done for a couple weeks, so they have a jump ahead of us for next year. We need to quickly move on from our loss, learn what to do better and move on.

"We've done a good job in practice of getting players in and we've tried to rotate on our defensive line and still have a lot coming back defensively."

Defensively, the Cobras lose seven starters, inlcuding all-state safety Joe Figueroa, linebacker Stacy Noble — the team's leading tackler — and standout defensive tackle Jerandious Works, who led the Treasure Coast with more than 30 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Central does return three key members from its front seven — defensive end Rashawn Shaw and linebackers Sharieff Rhaheed and William Daceus. Shaw already has offers from South Carolina, Florida Atlantic and UConn, while Rhaheed (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) also is expected to be a top college prospect next year.

"Our defense could be our strength next year, but I also like what we have coming back at quarterback and on the offensive line," Shaffer said. "The toughest thing to replace will be our senior leadership and experience. It's going to be hard to replace what experience those guys have had the last two years."

The Cobras' offense will have a different look next season as the team graduates the bulk of their talented skill position players and four starting offensive linemen. Leading rusher Marcus Levy is committed to Cincinnati, receiver Josh Knight is committed to Marshall and fellow receiver Jameel Jackson is weighing a handful of FBS offers.

The good news is Central will have quarterback Sam Vaughn for another year. Vaughn threw for 1,995 yards and 21 touchdowns and also rushed for 438 yards and six touchdowns.

Vaughn beat out Demarcus Semer after a lengthy quarterback battle last offseason, but will be the unquestioned leader of the offense next year.

"He's progressively gotten better week-by-week," Shaffer said. "When you get deep into the playoffs, people can really pick on little things — especially with a quarterback, but he's a tremendous quarterback. Having him back definitely will be a jump start to what we can do."

QUICK HITS

Shaffer said the Cobras will look to play a tougher schedule next year, but is cautious of making it too difficult early.

Faced with a 4th-and-4 at Manatee's 18-yard line on its opening drive, Central opted to go for it instead of kick a field goal because of Manatee's high-powered offense. Shaffer said the Cobras would have kicked a field goal in the same position against a more defensive-minded team.

QUOTABLE

"I really haven't sat down and reflected a whole lot yet," Shaffer said. "I'm disappointed in the way it ended, but I'm proud at the same time. When you put it in perspective, we still went 11-1 and a lot of kids had fantastic years. A lot of players had good years."

Talented Senior Class

Fort Pierce Central will graduate a solid group of seniors this spring, many of whom are expected to sign with FBS (formerly Division I-A) or FCS (formerly Division I-AA) programs.